How many days in Matera? 3 days in the Sassi, the ravine and the hill towns
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in the world: its two Sassi districts are houses, churches and cisterns dug into the soft limestone of a ravine, the Gravina. In the 1950s the Italian government moved their inhabitants out because of poverty and disease; today the caves are hotels and restaurants, and the town was European Capital of Culture in 2019. Give it three days: one for the Sassi, one for the rock churches and the park across the ravine, and one for the ghost town of Craco or the villages of the Lucanian Dolomites.
Short answer
Two days covers both Sassi, Casa Grotta, the Palombaro Lungo and the Murgia Timone viewpoint. The third day adds the Crypt of Original Sin and a trip out to Craco or the hill towns of Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: The Sassi: Caveoso, Barisano and the Civita
Morning. Start at the Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio or Piazza Vittorio Veneto for the first view of the Sasso Barisano, then walk down into it. Climb to the Civita, the hill between the two Sassi, and the 13th-century Cathedral of Apulian Romanesque style, with its rose window and painted interior.
Afternoon. Walk down into the Sasso Caveoso to Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario (about €3-5), a cave house furnished as it was before the evacuation, with the family's bed, loom and the place where the mule slept. Nearby, the rock church of Santa Maria de Idris stands on top of a rock spur, with frescoes in its cave chapel.
Evening. Stay for the blue hour, when lights come on across the Sassi, and walk up to the viewpoint on Via Madonna delle Virtu above the ravine. Have dinner in a cave restaurant; a main course costs €14-22.
The Sassi are all steps and uneven stone, with few railings. Wear good shoes and carry water in summer; there is little shade at midday.
Day 2: Rock churches, the Palombaro Lungo and Murgia Timone
Morning. Go under Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the Palombaro Lungo, a huge underground cistern about 15 metres deep, once the town's main water supply, visited on short guided tours (about €3-5). Then visit the rock churches of San Pietro Barisano and Santa Lucia alle Malve, with frescoes from the 11th to 17th centuries; a combined ticket covers several churches (about €6-10).
Afternoon. Visit the MUSMA, a museum of modern sculpture set in caves and a palazzo in the Sasso Caveoso (about €8). Then cross the ravine: from the bottom of the Sasso Caveoso a path leads down to the river and the suspension bridge, then climbs to the Murgia Timone plateau (about 1-1.5 hours return; steep).
Evening. Watch the sunset from Belvedere di Murgia Timone, the viewpoint opposite the town, where caves and rock churches in the Parco della Murgia Materana face the Sassi across the gorge. Drive or walk back for dinner near Piazza San Francesco.
The path across the gorge can be slippery and is closed after heavy rain. If you prefer, drive or take a taxi to Murgia Timone, about 15 minutes by road.
Day 3: The Crypt of Original Sin and Craco or the Dolomites
Morning. Book a visit to the Crypt of Original Sin (Cripta del Peccato Originale), about 15-20 minutes by car outside the town, a cave church painted with 9th-century frescoes of the Creation, sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of rock painting (about €10-15, by reservation only).
Afternoon. Drive about 1 hour south-west to Craco, a medieval hill town abandoned after landslides in the 1960s and visited on guided tours with a helmet (about €15). Or drive about 1.5 hours west to Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa, two villages in the Lucanian Dolomites, linked by the Volo dell'Angelo, a zip line between the peaks (about €50-60, summer only).
Evening. Return to Matera for a last dinner. Order crapiata, a soup of legumes and grains, and peperoni cruschi, dried crispy peppers, with a glass of Aglianico del Vulture, the red wine of Basilicata.
Craco and the Lucanian Dolomites are not served by useful public transport. Rent a car or book a tour from Matera.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Day 1 and Day 2 as written and book the Crypt of Original Sin for the morning of departure. Many travellers coming from Bari spend just one night, which is too short to see the Sassi at night and in the morning.
Got extra days?
A 4th day can go to Altamura, 20 km away, for its famous bread and the cathedral, to Gravina in Puglia for its Roman bridge over the ravine, or on to the coast of Puglia and the trulli of Alberobello, about 1.5 hours east.
Where to stay in Matera
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | New town near Piazza Vittorio Veneto | B&Bs a few minutes' walk from the Sassi and the station, cheaper and easy by car. | €70-120 |
| Mid-range | Sasso Barisano | Sleep in a restored cave, close to restaurants and the station. | €120-220 |
| Mid-range | Sasso Caveoso | Quieter cave rooms with views over the ravine and Murgia Timone. | €120-230 |
| Comfort | Cave hotels in the Civita and Caveoso | Luxury rooms carved in rock, with spa pools in former cisterns. | €250-600 |
Getting around
Matera has no main-line railway. The FAL (Ferrovie Appulo Lucane) train runs from Bari Centrale in about 1.5 hours (around €5-6), and buses link it with Bari airport (about 1.25 hours); check current timetables. Inside the town, you walk: from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the bottom of the Sasso Caveoso takes about 15 minutes, all on steps. Cars are not allowed in most of the Sassi; park in the car parks around the new town. For Craco, the Crypt and the Dolomites, rent a car or book a tour.
What to eat in Matera
Matera's bread, pane di Matera, a large crusty loaf made from durum wheat semolina, is protected with its own IGP label. Basilicata cooking is peasant food made well: cavatelli and orecchiette pasta with ragu or with fave e cicorie (fava beans and chicory), crapiata soup, lamb, and peperoni cruschi, sweet red peppers dried and fried until crisp. Cheese includes caciocavallo podolico from local cattle. Drink Aglianico del Vulture. A trattoria meal costs €25-40 per person; cave restaurants with a view cost more.
Best time to visit
April-June and September-October, with 18-27°C, ideal for walking the steps and the ravine. July and August are hot, around 32-35°C, with little shade. On 2 July, the city's festival of the Madonna della Bruna ends with a decorated cart being torn apart by the crowd. Winter is cold and can be rainy or snowy, but the Sassi are atmospheric and quiet.
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €45 | €85 | €200 |
| Food & drink | €30 | €50 | €90 |
| Sights & tickets | €12 | €25 | €60 |
| Local transport | €4 | €20 | €50 |
| Total per person, per day | about €90 | about €180 | about €400 |
Approximate 2026 prices in euros; the mid-range and comfort transport rows include a rental car or a tour for the day outside town. Matera charges a tourist tax of a few euros per person per night.
Before you go
Common questions
Why were the Sassi evacuated?
By the 1940s and 1950s, many families lived in single caves with their animals, without running water or sewers, and child mortality was very high. After the writer Carlo Levi described the conditions, the Italian government passed laws in the 1950s to move about 15,000 people to new districts. The caves were later restored, and in 1993 the Sassi became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Can I visit Matera as a day trip from Bari?
Yes, the FAL train takes about 1.5 hours, but it is a pity. In one day you see the Sassi in the middle of the day, when light is flat and heat is strong. Staying at least one night lets you see the town lit up after dark and at sunrise, which are the best moments for both walking and photographs.
What films were shot in Matera?
Many. Pier Paolo Pasolini filmed The Gospel According to St Matthew here in 1964, and Mel Gibson used the Sassi as Jerusalem in The Passion of the Christ in 2004. The opening chase of the James Bond film No Time to Die was filmed in the Sassi and around the cathedral. Some local guides offer film-location walks.
Is Matera suitable for people with limited mobility?
Partly. The upper new town and the viewpoints around Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Via Madonna delle Virtu are accessible, and some electric minibuses and tuk-tuk tours run along the main road through the Sassi. But most of the cave houses, churches and restaurants are reached by steep steps, so choose a hotel with step-free access.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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